So, you’ve scrapped the marketing campaigns that you had planned for this spring and summer. They no longer had the right tone for today’s climate. As you’re thinking about what kind of marketing to replace those with, you might be facing a common conundrum:
Should you create evergreen creative? Or should you create something very timely?
Evergreen Marketing Campaigns
This is what you might consider the “safe bet” between both of your choices. Evergreen content won’t have an expiration date attached and your campaign can be recycled. It can run for as long as it continues to be successful. Nothing about it will be attached to one specific period, season, etc.
But the risk with this choice is that you might create something that fails to “stick” because it simply isn’t specific enough. People might not identify with it because it doesn’t resemble their current lifestyle or situation. It might look like the company is not acknowledging its audience’s true needs or does not want to be real about today’s climate. Ask yourself if a slow trickle of success over time, with less overall impact, is more important than building more powerful relationships and having a greater impact in the short-term.
Timely Marketing Campaigns
One of the biggest aims of marketing is to reach your audience “where they are.” With timely marketing campaigns, you have the chance to reach people where they are, mentally, right now. You can speak to what matters most to them today, resonating on a very specific level.
These days, that’s a little tricky, because while time often feels like it moves very slowly in lockdown, the circumstances in the world can also change very fast. By the time you create your ad, factors involved with it might change. There will be a definite deadline involved either way, and it won’t necessarily age well. There’s a balance to be struck if you go this route, but if you hit the right chord, it can pay off immediately in a huge way. If you succeed, you’ll have the opportunity to follow up with another specific, time-sensitive campaign in the near future.
Is there a “right” answer?
You might have already lost money by retiring programs that no longer make sense, or because consumers have less money to spend right now. You might be hesitant to make the wrong choice. But at the end of the day: You can make a big impact with a short-lived campaign, and you can have a long-running campaign that feels bland because it fails to take any risks.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Just be honest to your brand and transparent with your audience. With powerful visuals, the right message, and strategic placement, you’re gold.
For help creating a fitting campaign with quick turnaround, contact Mad 4 Marketing